Waggas sexual assault counsellor welcomes the NSW government's tougher laws against predators

On Tuesday, the NSW government released a legislation reforms package that will see the maximum sentence increased from 25 years to life for persistent child sexual abuse. 

Wagga child and adolescent sexual assault counsellor Kay Humphreys said although she was pleased with the reforms, it doesn’t mean it will ease the way for victims of sexual assault.

“The reforms are good because it actually broadens the crime of child sexual offences,” she said. 

“I don’t know, however, whether it will make it easier for abuse victims to report because when you come up against a big institution, you feel powerless.

“It’s going to take a long time for people to feel like they’re going to be listened to.” 

The reforms also included new offences for failure to report and failure to protect against child abuse, a new offence of grooming an adult to access a child, and strengthening the grooming offence to include providing a child with gifts or money. 

The new laws announced by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian are part of the state government’s response to recommendations from the royal commission into child sex abuse.

“These historic reforms are designed to deliver survivors the justice they deserve and impose tougher penalties on offenders for their appalling abuse of children,” said Ms Berejiklian. 

One key recommendation from the royal commission missing in the reforms was introducing state laws to break the seal of confession and Ms Humphreys, a practising Catholic herself, said when it comes to child abuse there should be no “seal”. 

“Priests should be mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse,” she said. 

“The law should be stronger than the church and if the church can’t see that protecting children is more important, then they have a problem.” 

The reforms will also require courts sentencing historic child sexual assault offences to apply current sentencing standards and the present understanding about the lifelong effects of sexual abuse on children.  Courts will also not be allowed to take into account an offender’s good character when sentencing for historic offences where their reputation facilitated the offending.